Operation TOUCAN (KGB)
Encyclopedia
Operation TOUCAN was a KGB
/DGI public relations and disinformation campaign directed at the military government of Chile
led by Augusto Pinochet
. According to former KGB officer Vasili Mitrokhin
, the plot was originally conceived by Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov. The plot's twofold task was to organize sympathetic human rights activists to pressure the United Nations
and generate negative press for the Pinochet regime. In 1976, the start of TOUCAN, the New York Times published 66 articles on Chile’s human rights record and four on Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge
and only 3 such articles on the human rights situation in Cuba.
As part of operation TOUCAN, the KGB also forged a letter tying the CIA to an assassination campaign
by Chile’s DINA and many journalists, including columnist Jack Anderson of the New York Times, used this information in their news stories as evidence of the CIA’s involvement in the more nefarious parts of Operation Condor
.
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
/DGI public relations and disinformation campaign directed at the military government of Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
led by Augusto Pinochet
Augusto Pinochet
Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte, more commonly known as Augusto Pinochet , was a Chilean army general and dictator who assumed power in a coup d'état on 11 September 1973...
. According to former KGB officer Vasili Mitrokhin
Vasili Mitrokhin
Vasili Nikitich Mitrokhin was a Major and senior archivist for the Soviet Union's foreign intelligence service, the First Chief Directorate of the KGB, and co-author with Christopher Andrew of The Mitrokhin Archive: The KGB in Europe and the West, a massive account of Soviet intelligence...
, the plot was originally conceived by Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov. The plot's twofold task was to organize sympathetic human rights activists to pressure the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
and generate negative press for the Pinochet regime. In 1976, the start of TOUCAN, the New York Times published 66 articles on Chile’s human rights record and four on Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge
Khmer Rouge
The Khmer Rouge literally translated as Red Cambodians was the name given to the followers of the Communist Party of Kampuchea, who were the ruling party in Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, led by Pol Pot, Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, Son Sen and Khieu Samphan...
and only 3 such articles on the human rights situation in Cuba.
As part of operation TOUCAN, the KGB also forged a letter tying the CIA to an assassination campaign
Assassination campaign
An assassination campaign is a series of assassinations carried out to achieve a larger political goal.In the 19th century, Will of the People carried out a campaign of assassinations against high-ranking Russian leaders....
by Chile’s DINA and many journalists, including columnist Jack Anderson of the New York Times, used this information in their news stories as evidence of the CIA’s involvement in the more nefarious parts of Operation Condor
Operation Condor
Operation Condor , was a campaign of political repression involving assassination and intelligence operations officially implemented in 1975 by the right-wing dictatorships of the Southern Cone of South America...
.